Rose Conway-Walsh: 'Reckless Not to Prepare' for United Ireland
Rose Conway-Walsh calls for implementation of Good Friday Agreement Committee recommendations and urges properly resourced preparation for a united Ireland. She warns that failing to prepare is reckless and asks the Taoiseach-designate to commit to the committee's proposals.
Main argument: Rose Conway-Walsh argues that cross-party work agreed under the Good Friday Agreement must be acted on. She told colleagues that preparation for constitutional change should be carried out regardless of individual constitutional preferences and that the relevant committee should be mandated and resourced to do this work.
Committee recommendations and resourcing: The speaker highlighted a committee recommendation that a dedicated body be mandated and adequately resourced to prepare for a united Ireland. She framed this as a practical, necessary step rather than a political stance, urging implementation of the agreed recommendations across parties including Fianna Fáil, Sinn Féin, People Before Profit, Social Democrats, Labour, Green Party and Independents.
Economic analysis and engagement: Conway-Walsh referenced the ESRI work and the Shared Ireland unit as important inputs, suggesting the Good Friday Agreement Committee should engage with the ESRI report and that deputies familiarise themselves with that research. She said economic and financial analysis will be central to any future debate and offered to engage with the appropriate committee on the matter.
Direct appeal to leadership: Addressing the likely incoming Taoiseach, she asked directly whether the government will implement the committee recommendations. The speech stresses unity of purpose on preparation, not on constitutional preference, and frames preparedness as a responsibility of political leaders and of cross-party institutions.
Main argument: Rose Conway-Walsh argues that cross-party work agreed under the Good Friday Agreement must be acted on. She told colleagues that preparation for constitutional change should be carried out regardless of individual constitutional preferences and that the relevant committee should be mandated and resourced to do this work.
Committee recommendations and resourcing: The speaker highlighted a committee recommendation that a dedicated body be mandated and adequately resourced to prepare for a united Ireland. She framed this as a practical, necessary step rather than a political stance, urging implementation of the agreed recommendations across parties including Fianna Fáil, Sinn Féin, People Before Profit, Social Democrats, Labour, Green Party and Independents.
Economic analysis and engagement: Conway-Walsh referenced the ESRI work and the Shared Ireland unit as important inputs, suggesting the Good Friday Agreement Committee should engage with the ESRI report and that deputies familiarise themselves with that research. She said economic and financial analysis will be central to any future debate and offered to engage with the appropriate committee on the matter.
Direct appeal to leadership: Addressing the likely incoming Taoiseach, she asked directly whether the government will implement the committee recommendations. The speech stresses unity of purpose on preparation, not on constitutional preference, and frames preparedness as a responsibility of political leaders and of cross-party institutions.
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Transcript
I certainly welcome that question as well, and would welcome even more the answers, and I think Deputy Currie will know what I'm talking about when I talk about what was agreed in the Good Friday Agreement to rock this committee. That was cross-party, and maybe just for reference for the Speaker, it was perspectives on constitutional change, concentrating on finance and economics. We have a number of agreed recommendations within that that really need to be implemented, and it's one thing I would ask you to, I mean, within that we heard it was reckless not to prepare, it is reckless not to be doing this work, regardless of what your constitutional preference is, or how people will decide to vote at the end of the day, and that is why I suppose I would ask you one of the things, one of the recommendations, the committee recommends that a rock this committee should be mandated adequately and adequately resourced and dedicated to preparation for a united Ireland, just looking at this, for doing the preparation, it is reckless not to prepare. You will be probably Taoiseach yourself in a number of months' time, I would please ask you, will you implement these recommendations? Fianna Fáil, Sinn Féin, People Before Profit, Social Democrats, Labour, Green Party, Independent I welcome this rare moment of unity, and I think it's actually, I think it's really good, I think all of us, and we all have different political traditions, and we can debate that, that's fine, but you'd like to see a united Ireland in your lifetime, I'd like to see a united Ireland in my lifetime, I agree the Shared Ireland unit is doing good work, really good work, and I notice that across community, as do you I'm sure, but I think Deputy Murphy's question, and indeed the constructive contributions of Deputy Doherty, Deputy Conway-Walsh, and I know a few shared by other colleagues, you referenced Deputy Currie and others, and it says indeed Deputy Conley and Brennan and Cooney, the economics of this is important, I was really struck by, I'll read that report and I'll send you my remarks that I made at the launch of the ESRI report too, looking at this from a financial and economic point of view will ultimately be an important part of any debate whenever it arises, and there is a responsibility on us to be prepared to engage in that. I often try and grapple with this in my own head, what is the best way of creating that space, but perhaps the Good Friday Agreement Committee might be an opportunity for us to engage on that report, but also there is ESRI funded, and I take the point it's not all about the ESRI, but there is ESRI funded work that we might want to all familiarise ourselves with too, so I'm very happy to have an engagement with the appropriate committee on this matter.